Chefs from A-OK and Buca teamed up to create an ultra-trendy Korean mash-up at l’Ouvrier

Fusion used to be a dirty word in culinary circles, shorthand for chintzy, ill-conceived dishes that subbed gimmickry for taste. Now, in the post-Momofuku era, trendy new restaurants are once again serving shamelessly inauthentic—but often delicious—east-meets west concoctions: Mexican tortas stuffed with bulgogi, fried chicken drenched in gochujang and bowls of ramen spiked with Cheez Whiz. On Monday, chef Chris Jang from A-OK Foods and Buca sous-chef Yong Soo Do took over the kitchen at l’Ouvrier on Dundas West to serve a hyper-modern Korean feast inflected with French, Italian and Canadian flavours and techniques. The result: ricotta-tofu panna cotta, watermelon rind kimchee and chilled ramen laced with black garlic and chocolate. Here, a slideshow of the six-course meal.